Kenneth Marshall

Kenneth Ladd Marshall October 1, 1931 - October 7, 2025.

Ken passed away peacefully on October 7, 2025 one week after his 94th birthday. He was born and raised in North Dakota and was the eldest of five kids in the 40s. The family moved to Saint Joe Idaho, where Ken graduated from high school and joined the National Guard only to be activated one week after he joined. He was sent to Germany for post-World War II occupation. When he returned to the States, he went to work in the woods with the Forest Service and eventually moved to the Trout Creek area of Montana, where he met his wife, Joanne Cernik. They were married on February 14, 1960 and spent 37 years together before her passing in 1997.

As a logger, he worked in the logging industry holding various positions for over 55 years. He absolutely loved what he did and the people he did it with. His stories of the old days while working in the forest are the best. His love of logging was replaced by his love of being the daycare provider to his granddaughter Faith until she started kindergarten. He just loved his trips with Faith to the kid’s museum, parks and various play dates. They had a wonderful relationship. Ken said, “that was the best job I ever had!”

Ken was also a devoted Griz fan and was still going to football games this fall. He was a constant in section 103 of the Washington Grizzly Stadium for over 25 years. Ken was also very proud of all of his kids and especially enjoyed family dinners at the old Tower Pizza.

He was also an original investor of his youngest son’s (and business partner) Draught Works Brewery for the past 14 years. Ken was a frequent face at the brewery and immensely enjoyed having a beer or two with his many friends over the years. Ken was a great storyteller and made a mean potato salad, had a wonderful sense of humor, and was a kind and gentle soul. He will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Joanne, his sisters, Glena May and Beth Ann. He is survived by his two brothers Stanton of Washington State and Franklin of California and his four children, Jerri, Joe, Aaron, and Paul (Laura), all of Missoula, and his grandchildren, Ian and Faith.

A celebration of Ken‘s life will be held at Draught Works Brewery in Missoula on Sunday, November 2nd at 12pm. He would be so happy to know we all got together for stories and a toast over a good cold beverage. In lieu of flowers, please keep the Missoula Food Bank in your thoughts as it was Ken‘s favorite charity.

https://missoulafoodbank.org/get-involved/donate